When the opportunity presents itself, it would be a good idea to fix and improve our house. One of the areas that we need to do is to make our house become more energy efficient and more eco friendly. Not only we contribute in saving the environment, we could also potentially reduce costs in the long run. First of all, we may consider installing the low flow toilet and it’s among the most obvious way for making our house more efficient. With the low flow toilet, we should be able to conserve water with each flush. It is obviously a good idea if we can combine the efficient toilet with low flow faucets as well. Another way to conserve water is by collecting fresh, clean water from the nature. Rain water is relatively safe to drink if you live in rural areas, but it is better to be used for watering your garden. Rain water container should have copper lining that can prevent the growth of bacteria.
Another thing that we may do to make your home to become more eco friendly is by repainting your house. We may choose no VOC paint to cover the potentially unsafe parts of your house. Old paints with volatile organic compounds can really pollute the indoor environment. So, it is a good idea to ask the local hardware store about eco-friendly paints that they have. We may also reduce the electricity bills by installing solatubes on the roof. They often have highly reflective material that may bounce the light into the interior of your room. Solatubes can be installed in bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Natural day light is often more comfortable than the artificial light sources, also it’s free. We may reduce the electricity consumption further by using the master switch. We will be able to turn all the appliances in our home off with only a single flick.
If your area is affected by regular winter, it is important to check the insulation of your house when the fall arrives. There’s a possibility that some parts of the insulation system in your house have degraded and this could cost you the heating bills. If you find holes that you haven’t discovered during the previous examination, it is possible to make emergency repair. You may use pieces of old denim or any thick fabric to plug or cover the holes in the insulation system. It is also a good idea to use a sealant material to completely cover the holes. One area where the heat can escape is though the window and because there are many windows at most houses, we should check them carefully. If you feel that the glass is extremely cold, we may replace it with Low E insulating glass to prevent heat loss. The glass has transparent and thin metallic coating that deflects the heat conductivity.
With these improvements, you will be able to put your savings towards paying off your mortgage. You will be able to become more comfortable and save more money.